SKELLIG
David Almond
Yearling Books
Fiction
ISBN-10: 0440416027
ISBN-13: 9780440416029
192 pages

Michael and his family have just moved into a new home, but things are not going very smoothly. The house needs lots of work and Michael's new baby sister, who was born prematurely, is very ill. Obviously his parents are very busy and Michael has lots of time alone to explore his surroundings. That's when he finds something mysterious in the house's crumbling-down garage. Is the frail creature with wings who calls himself Skellig an angel? a man? a ghost? Michael doesn't know. But he feels compelled to find out.

Eventually, Michael moves beyond timid curiousity and starts to care for Skellig, making sure he has enough to eat --- especially his favorite order from the Chinese restaurant, "27 and 53." But sometimes it's hard to go to school or play soccer or hang out with his friends --- all the normal stuff --- when Michael remembers that Skellig, and his family's worries are waiting at home.

Michael knows his parents would not understand about Skellig, so he decides to share his secret with his new friend Mina. She, too, appreciates the mystery and magic of Skellig. And both Mina and Michael believe their strange friend is responsible for seeing Michael's baby sister through a medical crisis. In an odd way, Skellig heals them all, and shows them the true power of love.

   --- Reviewed by Shannon Maughan

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